Members of the Philippine Volcanoes rugby team joined the seventh leg of the Rugby World Cup 2019 Trophy Tour for a spectacular start to the action in Manila with a climb up Taal Volcano.
Accompanied by children from local rugby development programs, the Volcanoes used the arrival of the Webb Ellis Cup to inspire the next generation of players in a uniquely Filipino location – the world’s smallest active volcano.
Engaging young players form a central theme of the Tour program, with youth development players in the Philippines getting the opportunity to get up close and personal with rugby’s greatest prize.
The coveted piece of silverware is on an 18-month tour in the lead up to Asia’s first ever Rugby World Cup, to be held in Japan in 2019.
While in Manila, the Trophy Tour will visit the opening day of a local Rugby Sevens Festival at Southern Plains. Boasting a number of national players, the festival is a hotbed of local and national talent.
And on Sunday, the trophy will be guest of honor at a training session at McKinley Hill Stadium before it heads to a central shopping mall, where local junior development teams will be invited to attend sessions with the Webb Ellis Cup and national team players.
The Trophy Tour will attend a Get Into Rugby session on Monday run by the Philippine Rugby Football Union.
From Manila the Rugby World Cup 2019 Trophy Tour will continue to India in August before heading to Japan for Rugby World Cup 2019 one year to go celebrations. The tour will excite the global rugby family and drive fan engagement ahead of Rugby World Cup 2019. Click here to view the Rugby World Cup 2019 Trophy Tour schedule.
Rugby World Cup 2019 takes place from Sept. 20 to Nov. 2, 2019.
There has been strong demand for Rugby World Cup 2019, with more than 1.5 million ticket applications already received.
Further information on how to purchase tickets can be found at www.rugbyworldcup.com/tickets.